A "tonify qi, release the exterior, transform phlegm" formula from the Song dynasty, the formula of choice for the common cold in a weak or qi-deficient patient who normally catches every cold that goes around.
Cultural reference - how this formula has been discussed in Chinese medical tradition. Not medical advice.
Background & origin
Finalized in the Song dynasty "Formulary of the Bureau of Medicine" (《太平惠民和剂局方》) as the foundational "qi-tonic for cold in weak patients" formula. In Japan, Jinso-in (参蘇飲) is sold by Tsumura and Kracie as the standard OTC for "colds in tired patients, lingering cold symptoms, post-partum or post-illness wind-cold". In Korea it appears as Samso-eum (삼소음) in the Kyungdong hanbang line. The formula is one of the few in the tradition that explicitly addresses "exterior + qi deficiency" simultaneously.
From the source text
This page is cultural documentation, not medical advice.
From the source text · 卷二·治伤寒·参苏饮
Classical text
治感冒发热头痛，或因痰饮凝结，兼以为热，中脘痞满，呕逆恶心，开胃进食，无以逾此。
Modern Chinese rendering
本方用于感冒发热头痛，或因痰饮内结、郁而化热所致的胃脘痞满、呕逆恶心，并能开胃进食,治此证无过于此方。这一段方论把参苏饮定位为"气虚感冒兼痰饮"的代表方——既用人参、苏叶益气解表，又用二陈、桔梗化痰止咳,是"扶正解表"思路下"益气化痰"路径的经典条目。
Editorial translation
This formula is used for cold-attack with fever and headache, or for phlegm-rheum congealing internally and transforming into heat, with fullness and stuffiness in the middle burner, retching and nausea, and the opening of the stomach to enable eating — no formula surpasses it for these patterns. This preface positions Shēn Sū Yǐn as the Formulary's representative formula for the "qi-deficient cold attack with phlegm-rheum" pattern, simultaneously supplementing qi and releasing the exterior (via Rén Shēn and Sū Yè) and transforming phlegm and stopping cough (via Èr Chén and Jié Gěng), the canonical entry for the "support the upright and release the exterior" approach in its qi-tonifying and phlegm-transforming register.
In tradition
In TCM tradition, associated with "qi deficiency with wind-cold exterior and internal phlegm" patterns: the patient who gets colds easily, has a slight fever and chills, sore throat, cough with phlegm, chest and epigastric fullness, and feels generally "run down" rather than robustly ill. It is the formula of choice when the cold is in a tired, weak patient rather than a robust adult, the "I have been sick for two weeks and cannot shake it" presentation.
Formula composition
Monarch2
- Codonopsis root (Dǎng Shēn / 党参)
- Perilla leaf (Zǐ Sū Yè / 紫苏叶)
Minister2
- Pueraria root (Gé Gēn / 葛根)
- Peucedanum (Qián Hú / 前胡)
Assistant5
- Pinellia rhizome, processed (Bàn Xià / 半夏)
- Poria (Fú Líng / 茯苓)
- Tangerine peel (Chén Pí / 陈皮)
- Aucklandia root (Mù Xiāng / 木香)
- Bitter orange, stir-fried (Zhǐ Ké / 枳壳)
Envoy4
- Platycodon root (Jié Gěng / 桔梗)
- Licorice root (Gān Cǎo / 甘草)
- Ginger (Shēng Jiāng / 生姜)
- Chinese date (Dà Zǎo / 大枣)
International availability
Taiwan & Hong Kong
- 順天堂OTC參蘇丸Shen Su Wan
Cautions & context
- Not appropriate for "wind-heat" colds (sore throat, yellow phlegm, fever without chills), the formula is warming and geared toward wind-cold.
- Contains pinellia, which is generally considered inappropriate during pregnancy unless under qualified guidance.
- Persistent fever, productive cough with colored phlegm, or shortness of breath requires medical evaluation before any herbal remedy is considered.
- Long-term daily use is not appropriate, the formula is for active illness, not prevention.
Related formulas
Other formulas from this text· "Formulary of the Bureau of Medicine"
Other formulas by this contributor· Imperial Medical Bureau (Song)
Related concerns
Concern · immune
Immune Support
The everyday language of "wanting to stay well", a sense of being run down, the change of seasons, occasional mouth ulcers, the slow recovery after a cold.
Concern · digestion
Digestion
Upper-abdominal heaviness, bloating, sour reflux, loose stools, traveler's stomach, and the aftermath of a meal that was richer, spicier, or larger than usual.
Editorial note
Compiled from "Formulary of the Bureau of Medicine" (1078).
Last reviewed: July 18, 2026
Three layers of evidence
Classical source
≈ 900 years · "Formulary of the Bureau of Medicine" (1078)
Pharmacopoeia indication
"Benefit qi and release the exterior, regulate qi and resolve phlegm. Used for constitutional weakness with external wind-cold: chills and fever, headache with nasal congestion, cough with profuse phlegm, chest fullness, and vomiting."
Modern research status
As of 2026-07-18, a PubMed search using the formula name and the Latin / Korean / Japanese transliterations together with "systematic review" and "meta-analysis" did not identify a dedicated systematic review for this formula. Any clinical evidence that does exist is fragmented across small individual trials or covered in broad herbal-medicine umbrella reviews, which do not allow a per-formula evidence assessment; the absence of a dedicated SR is itself the relevant editorial fact here.
References
References reviewed on July 18, 2026 · PubMed search on 2026-07-18
- 01ClassicalChen Shiwen (陈师文) et al. (eds.), 《太平惠民和剂局方》 (Tài Píng Huì Mín Hé Jì Jú Fāng / Formulary of the Bureau of Medicine), Song dynasty, compiled 1078, vol. 2, the "addressing cold disorders" (治伤寒) section, the entry for Shēn Sū Yǐn (参苏饮), the canonical Song-era formula for the "qi-deficient cold-attack with phlegm-rheum" pattern, combining Rén Shēn / Sū Yè with Èr Chén / Jié Gěng.
- 02TextbookDuan Fuqin (段富津) et al. (eds.), 《方剂学》 (Fāngjìxué / Science of Formulas), 2nd edition, Shanghai Scientific and Technical Publishers, 2011, the standard modern university-level formula textbook in mainland China, with Shēn Sū Yǐn analysed as the representative "supplement qi and release the exterior, transform phlegm and stop cough" (益气解表，理气化痰) formula for the "support the upright and release the exterior" (扶正解表) approach.
- 03TextbookTsumura & Co. (ツムラ), Jinso-in (参蘇飲) product documentation, Japan's leading Kampo manufacturer, the standard Japanese OTC adaptation of the Shēn Sū Yǐn lineage, used for the "qi-deficient common cold" and "post-illness lingering cold" patterns in Japanese Kampo clinical practice.
- 04PharmacopoeiaChinese Pharmacopoeia Commission, 《中华人民共和国药典》 2020 年版一部 (Zhōnghuá Rénmín Gònghéguó Yàodiǎn, Pharmacopoeia of the People's Republic of China, 2020 Edition, Vol. I), China Medical Science Press, 2020, the official monograph for Shēn Sū Wán (and Yǐn dosage form), with the "functional indications" reading "益气解表，理气化痰" (supplement qi and release the exterior, regulate qi and transform phlegm), for the qi-deficient common cold with phlegm-damp presentation.